Zoology

The Zoology Department houses over 900,000 specimens or specimen
"lots" (groups of specimens) including over 40,000 vials of
arachnids (spiders and their relatives), each vial holding anywhere
from one to hundreds of animals; well over 780,000 insects with
strength in the orders Coleoptera (the beetles) and Lepidoptera
(the butterflies and moths); 17,000 shell lots representing shells
from all over the world; approximately 52,000 bird specimens,
including a significant nest and egg collection; over 14,000
specimens of mammals, including several threatened or endangered
species and several species now considered extinct. Our small
botany collection includes over 2,500 specimens representing 130
families. Many of the specimens in our various collections date
back over 100 years.

The Zoology Department's history started with the 1859 gold
rush. Edwin Carter came to Colorado to find his millions, and
instead followed his true passion by collecting the birds and
mammals of the Rocky Mountain Region. In his log cabin in
Breckinridge, he amassed one of the most complete assemblages of
Colorado fauna. This collection of bird eggs, study skins, bird and
mammal taxidermy mounts was not only the foundation of the Museum's
zoological collections, but was the catalyst for the formation of
the Museum itself in 1900. From 1911 onward, successive
curators continued to expand the Museum's exhibits and collections
by participating in local and far-flung expeditions. From
1958 through the 1970s, Zoology was part of the Exhibits
Department. In 1982, the department was renamed the Zoology
Department and stood alone, separate from Exhibits. From that time
until the present, the Department's staffing level has increased
and collections now stand at well over 900,000 specimens.

Research in the Zoology Department focuses on how evolution has
shaped life on Earth. Curators explore the evolutionary
relationships between and among species of vertebrates and
invertebrates. We also regularly discover and describe new species.
We firmly believe in the value of involving non-scientists, such as
volunteers and students, in our research projects since there is no
better way to understand how science works than to be actively
engaged in the scientific process.

All three curators actively engage in public lectures, teacher
training, on the floor programming, and workshops. We collaborate
with external colleagues at the Denver Zoo, the Denver Botanic
Gardens, the Butterfly Pavilion, and area universities and colleges
to teach classes and workshops. Through these outreach efforts, we
engage the public in our own research programs by presenting
exciting scientific findings in an accessible format. We also work
with the exhibits team to bring out hundreds of our specimens where
they can be showcased for our visitors. Zoology specimens are
showcased in the Museum's spectacular dioramas, and our collections
are highlighted in the Treasures of the Natural World exhibit on
the first floor of the Museum.

Zoology Department staff are members of various professional
scientific societies including the International Commission of
Zoological Nomenclature, American Society of Mammalogy, American
Arachnological Society, Entomological Society of America, Society
for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, Society for
the Study of Evolution, and many others. Many of the staff serve or
have served as officers or committee members of these societies. We
also supervise the work of graduate students from various
universities, and serve as editors or reviewers for scientific
journals.

Ornithology Collection

Search 43,000+ records representing bird specimens collected
across seven continents over the last 165 years. Access the database.

Who We Are

The Zoology Department maintains an active program of specimen acquisition and management, scientific research, education, and public programming to promote a better understanding of the Earth's biodiversity and to gather information needed to make informed decisions about species conservation. Although the department's collections and programs span the globe, current activities focus primarily on ecosystems of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains of North America. Curators also investigate how natural populations of vertebrates and invertebrates change over time and how these species are affected by changes in the natural environment. Curators use a variety of approaches including field work, measuring and studying variations in museum specimens, microscopy, and molecular analyses to test hypotheses related to evolutionary changes in populations and species.